





«5°^ 



■ -, ,„...•-■•(■ 



iiiilist; 












CI,'*- 









^;»^!;i:;';:: 










LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 



PRESENTED BY 



UNITED STATES OF AMEEIOA. 



. LITCHFIELD TC^j 



CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION, 



JULY 4th, A. D. 1876. 



HISTORICAL ADDRESS 



GEORGE C. WOODRUFF. 



1878 



HARTFORD: 

PRESS OF THE CASE, LOCKWOOD & URAINAKD COMPANY. 
1876. 



■ L1L7 



On the 17th day of June, 1876, the citizens of the Town of 
Litchfield, Conn., assembled at the Town Hall to provide for the 
proper celebration of the Centennial Anniversary of our National 
Independence, and by vote requested the Town of Morris (till 
recently a part of this town,) to unite with Litchfield in sucli 
celebration. 

A Committee composed of the Hon. Origen S. Seymour, J. 
Deming Perkins, CHiarles B. Andrews, George M. Woodruff, and 
Thomas L. Saltonstall, was appointed to make suitable arrange- 
ments. 

On the 19th day of June that committee reported as follows: 



LITOIIFIELI). 



The citizens' coiumittec appointed to aiTanjre for tlie coni- 
lueiuoratioii of the Centennial Anniversary of the Declaration 
of Independence, present th6 following 

PROGRAMME. 

July 8. The village bells will he rung from 8 to 10 o'clock 
p, M,, and houses in the village illuminated during the same 
hours. 

July 4th. At sunrise the l»clls will be rung for one hour, 
and flags displayed from all houses during the day and 
evening. 

At 10 o'clock A. M. Public Exercises in the Congrega- 
tional Church, under the direction of Hon. 0. S. Seymour, 
President of the day. 

Prayer by the Rev, Allen McLean. 

Reading of the Declaration of Independence, by Hon. 
TiuJMAN Smith. 

Historical Address, by Hon. George C. Woodruff. 

At 2 o'clock p. M. Exhibition in the Court House of Revo- 
lutionary and Antiquarian Relics, which will be under the 
charge of a special committee, and to which contributions are 
solicited. 

At 8.30 P. M. General illumination, and fire balls on the 
Village Green. 

N. B. The citizens of Morris are particularly invited to 



unite with Litchfield, and contribute to the exhibition in the 
Court House. 

Litchfield, June 19, 1876. 

Tlie committee subsequently reported the Order of Exer- 
cises as follows, viz : 

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION. 

Order of Exercises, Congregational Church, Litchfield, Conn., 
July 4, 1876, 10 o'clock a.m. 

1. Voluntary, — Organ and Cornet. 

2. Reading of Centennial Proclamation, — Hon. 0. S. 

Seymour, President of the Day. 
3-. Prayer, — Rev. Allen McLean. 

4. Singing, — Choir and Congregation, Hymn, "America." 

5. Reading op Declaration of Independence, — Hon. 

Truman Smith. 

6. Singing, — Choir and Congregation, Selection from 

Whittier's Centennial Hymn. 

" Our father's God ! from out whose hand 
The centuries fall like grains of sand, 
We meet to-day, united, free — 
And loyal to our land and Thee — 
To thank Thee for the era done, 
And trust Thee for the opening one. 

" Here, where of old, by Thy design, 
The fathers spake that word of Thine 
Whose echo is the glad refrain 
Of rended bolt and falling chain ; 
To grace our festal time — from all 
The zones of earth our guests we call. 



" Be with us while the New World greets 
The Old World — thronging all its streets, 
Unveiling all its triumphs won 
By art or toil beneath the sun ; 
And unto common good ordain 
This rivalship of hand and hrain. 

"Oh! make Thou us, through centuries long, 
In peace secure, in justice strong; 
Around our gift of freedom draw 
The safeguard of thy ri;i;hteous law, 
And, cast in some dinner mould, 
Let the new cycle siiamc the old." 

7. Historical Address, — Hon. George C. Woodruff. 

8. Singing, — By the Choir, Keller's American Hymn. 

9. Benediction. 

10. Voluntary, — Organ and Cornet, National Airs. 

Citizewi Committee. — Hon. 0. S. Seymour, Chairman ; J. 
Deming Perkins, Charles B. Andrews, Geo. M. Woodruff, 
Thos. L. Saltonstall. 

Committee on Exhibition of Revolutio7iary Relics in the 
Court House. — Mrs. Ed. W. Seymour, Mrs. Harry W. Wes- 
sells, Mrs. Harriet Kilbourne, Geo. M. Woodruff, J. Deming 
Perkins. 

The programme was adopted and fully carried out, both on 
the evening of the 3d of July, and on the day and evening of 
the 4th. 

The illuminations and displays of fire-works were beautiful. 

The exhibition of Revolutionary and antiquarian relics was 
interesting beyond the most sanguine expectations of its pro- 
jectors. 

The exercises on the 4th, after the voluntary, were intro- 
duced by reading, by the president of the day, the following 
Proclamation of the President of the United States : 



A PROCLAMATION. 

The Centennial Anniversary of the day on which the people of the United 
States declared their right to a separate and equal station among the powers of 
the earth, seems to demand an exceptional observance. The founders of the 
government at its birth, and in its feebleness, invoked the blessings and the pro- 
tection of a Divine Providence. The thirteen colonies and three millions of 
people have expanded into a nation of strength and numbers, commanding the 
position which then was asserted, and for which fervent prayers were then oilered. 
It seems fitting that on the occurrence of tlie hundredth anniversary of our exist- 
ence as a nation, grateful acknowledgment should be made to Almighty God fur 
the protection and the bounties which He has vouchsafed our beloved country. 
I, therefore, invite the good people of the United States, on the npproaching 4tli 
day of July, in addition to the usual observances with which they are accustomed 
to greet the return of the day. further, in such manner and at such times as to 
their respective localities and religious associations may be most convenient, to 
mark its recurrence by some public religious and devout thanksgiving to 
Almighty God, for the blessings which have been bestowed on us as a nation 
during the century of our existence, and humbly to invoke a continuance of His 
favors and His protection. 

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal -of the 
United States to be affixed. 

Done at the city of Washington, this 26th day of June, A. D., 1876, and of 
the Independence of America the one hundredth. 

(Signed) U. S. GEANT. 

By the President. 

Hamilton Fish, 

Secretary of State. 

After a patriotic and fervent jjrayer by the Rev. Allen Mc- 
Lean, and singing, the Declaration of Independence was read 
by the Hon. Truman Smith, wlio read the same instrninent at 
a celebration in Litchfield just half a century ago. The read- 
ing was introduced and supplemented by appropriate remarks. 
What he said was received with marked attention and inter- 
est, and was eminently characteristic in manner and matter — 
indicating that the venerable gentleman still retained tlie 
vigor and power of his manhood. 

Then followed music by an exceedingly fine and well-in- 
structed choir, specially organized for the occasion, aided l)y 
the tioi'net and organ, admirably [)layed by Mr. Eugene W. 
Meafoy and Miss Ella Gibbud. 



IIISTOEIOA.I. ADDRESS 



GEORGE C. WOODRUFF. 



ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO. 

One hundred years ago these States, then colonies, com- 
posed of only three millions of people, declared themselves 
Free and Independent. They renounced all allegiance to the 
British crown, and defied the armies of Great Britain and the 
power of its king. In su}){)ort of such declaration our repre- 
sentatives, relying on tlie protection of Divine Providence, 
pledged their "lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor." 
It was an act of rebellion by colonies, young, feeble, and scat- 
tered, against, perhaps, the most powerful nation on earth. 
An act apparently rash, as well as rebellious, though justified 
by the result, and ultimately proving to be of the greatest 
good to the mother country, as well as to ourselves, and, as 
we believe, to the benefit of all mankind. 

The measure was not adopted without due deliberation. It 
was not the product of sudden excitement, but the conse- 
quence of a long train of abuses and despotic usurpations, by 
which the people had been educated up to the point of resist- 
ance. 

For years they had remonstrated with the British Govern- 
ment. For years had one colony or lesser community sym- 
pathized with other colonics or communities in their sulferings, 
until all rose as one, and declared they would no longer sub- 
mit to a government conducted with a view to its own aggran- 
dizement at their expense. 



This Declaration, so calm, so deliberate, so just, so bold, 
and so fearful in its consequences in case of failure, was made 
and signed by one of our own citizens. It is therefore emi- 
nently proper that we should preserve the memory of those 
local incidents, which led to and followed such action, and in 
which he, in common with his fellow townsmen, took a promi- 
nent part. And it is to be regretted that those incidents 
have not been collated by one able to give them, by his imag- 
ination and eloquence, that polish, beauty, and interest to 
which they are intrinsically entitled. 

It is a matter of history, well-known, that Connecticut, 
with its " Brother Jonathan," acted no inconsiderable part in 
the events preceding and during the war of the Revolution. 
And I hazard nothing in saying that Litchfield (which then 
included the present township of Morris) did its full share in 
establishing our national independence. 

And inasmuch as on an occasion like the present, a little 
" mutual admiration " may be pardonable, I shall perhaps be 
excused for reading from an article published in a prominent 
magazine several years since. The writer says: 

" There is no spot on this continent which has produced so 
many eminent, men, literary, intelligent, and practical, in 
proportion to its inhabitants, as the State of Connecticut. 
It appears, to sustain this assertion, that Connecticut has 
been the birth-place of one-twelfth of all the United States 
Senators; and Litchfield county alone, having a population of 
about one five-hundredth of the whole country, has given birth 
to thirteen of those Senators. Out of 8,200 Senators and 
Representatives, whose origin is given in Lanman's Dictionary, 
252 were born in Connecticut, and 222 in Massachusetts, that 
State having a population averaging twice that of Connecti- 
cut." 



He then quotes the following story : 

A number of years ago, says a writer in the Democratic 
Age^ hapj)ening to be in Paris on the 4tli of July, with many 
other Americans, we agreed to celebrate " the clay" by a din- 
ner at the Hotel Meurice. Tliere were seventy-two of us in 
all. We had l)ut one guest. Tliis was M. de Tocqueville, who 
had then rendered himself famous l)y iiis great work upon de- 
mocracy in America. During the festivities of the evening, 
after the cloth had been removed, and speechifying had com- 
menced, some gentleman alluded en passant to the fact that 
he was born in Connecticut. 

" Connect-de-coot,'" exclaimed Monsieur dc Tocqueville, as 
he suddenly rose, with the enthusiasm of a Frenchman. " Vy, 
messieurs, I vill tell you, vid the permission of the presidents 
of this festival, von very leetnl story, and then I vill give you 
von grand sentiment to dat little State you call Connect-de- 
coot. Von day ven I was in de gallery of the House of Rep- 
resentatif, I held one map of tbe Confederation in my hand. 
Dere was one Icetle yellow spot dat dey call Connect-de-coot. 
I found by de Constitution he was entitled to six of his boys 
to represent him on dat floor. But ven I make de acquaint- 
ance pei'Honelle with de member, I lind dat more than tirty of 
the Representatif on dat floor was born in Connect-de-coot. 
And then ven 1 was in the gallery of the House of the Sena^, 
I find de Constitution permit Connect-de-coot to send two of 
his boys to represent him in dat Legislature. But once more 
ven I make de acquaintance pev^onelle of the Senator, I find 
nine of the Senator was born in Connect de-coot. So den, 
gentlemen, I have made my leetle speech ; now I will give you 
my grand sentiment : 

" Connect-de-coot, the leetle yellow spot dat make de clock- 
peddler, de schoolmaster, and de Senator. De first, give you 
time; the second, tell you what you do with him; and de 
sird make your law and your civilization ; " and then as he 
was resuming his seat amidst roars of laughter, he rose again, 
and with that peculiar gesticulation which characterizes all 
Frenchmen in moments of excitement, he shook his finger 



10 

tremulously over the assembled confreres, and exclaimed to 
the top of his voice, " Ah ! gentlemen, dat leetle yellow State 
you call Connect-de-coot, is one very great miracle to me." 

One hundred years ago this town was in its infancy. 
Scarcely fifty years had elapsed since white pioneers from the 
east had invaded the previously undisturbed domains of sav- 
age men and savage beasts. 

By grants from the aborigines, and from the legislature 
of the Colony of Connecticut, the title to the township of 
Litchfield became vested in the towns of Hartford and Wind- 
sor, and certain inhabitants of Farmington. In the year 1718, 
a company was formed for its settlement. The adventure was 
divided into sixty shares, three of which were reserved for 
pious uses — one to the first minister and his heirs forever — 
one for the use of the first minister and his successors — 
and one for the support of the school. The title was con- 
veyed to the adventurers, and in May, 1719, was confirmed 
by the legislature, which granted leave to settle a town at 
Bantam, to be called Litchfield. 

At the October session of the assembly of the same year, 
a court of probate for the town was ordered to be held at 
Woodbury. And at the October session, 1722, the town was 
annexed to Hartford County, 

The town was in length, east and west, eight miles, three 
quarters, and twenty-three rods, and in breadth seven miles 
and a half. The cost to the proprietors did not exceed one 
penny, three farthings per acre. 

In 1721, a formal patent of the town, signed by Gov. Salt- 
onstall, was granted by the Governor and Company of the 
Colony, to John Marsh and John Buell, and their partners.* 

* The families of John Marsh and John Buell intermarried. Their descend- 
ants had a family picnic in the grove of Mr. F. A. Marsh, on the shore of Ban- 



11 

A few individuals commenced the settlement of the town 
ill 1720. In 1721, a considerable number, chiefly from the 
towns of Hartford, Windsor, and Lebanoij, moved into the 
tract. The townsliip was divided among the proprietors, giv- 
ing- to each a home-lot of fifteen acres, as nearly as could con- 
veniently be done. The choice of home-lots was decided by 
lot. The lot fii'st selected was about half a mile south of the 
court liouse, and next to Middle street or Gallows lane, the 
second was half a mile further south, and on the corner op- 
posite the residence of Mr. Arthur D. Catlin, the third three- 
fourths of a mile west of the court house, known as the 
Strong place. 

Tiie eleventh choice was the lot thirty rods next west of 
the County House corner, which subsequently the town voted 
was not fit for building a house upon. Tlie Mansion House 
corner was the twentieth choice ; the corner now owned by 
Mrs. Bostwick the twenty-fifth choice, and the County House 
corner tlic thirty-third choice. Ten lots were selected on 
Chesnut Hill, southerly from the school-house, and the last 
choice (the 57th) was the lot on which is the dwelling-house 
of Mrs. A. C. Smith. 

The home-lot of the first minister was the corner lately 
owned by Mrs. Wellcr, deceased, and the twenty acre division 
appurtenant tliereto was laid adjoining on the north, and ex- 
tended to the north line of the land of Mr. Charles Jones. 

The highway from Bantam river, running westerly through 
the village, was laid out twenty rods wide, and called Meeting 
House street ; tliat now called North street twelve rods wide, 
and was called Town street ; that now called South street, 



tarn Lake, Sept. 3, 1846, at which at least 600 of the family were present, and the 
names of 581 were registered. Mrs. John Biiell died in 1768, having had 13 chil- 
dren, 101 grand-children, 274 grent grand-children, and 22 great-great grand 
children. Total 410, of whom 336 survived her. 



12 

eight rods wide, and was called Town Hill street, the east line 
of which terminated six rods east of the front of Mrs. Bost- 
wick's dwelling. Gallows lane, then Middle street, was twen- 
ty-eight rods wide. The highway running southerly from 
Mr. David DeForest's house, was named South Griswold street, 
and that running northerly North Griswold street. Prospect 
street, then called North street, was seventeen rods wide. 

The first church, court house, and school-house, stood 
nearly in the center of Meeting House street ; the court house 
about opposite the center of Town street, and the church east, 
and school-house west of the court house. 

The first white child born in Litchfield, was Eunice, the 
daughter of Jacob Griswold, afterwards the wife of Capt. 
Solomon Buell. She was born March 23, 1721. The first 
white male child born in Litchfield, was Gershom Gibbs, on 
the 28th of July, 1724. He was taken prisoner at Fort Wash- 
ington, in 1776, and died on board a British prison ship, on 
the 29th of December, of that year. 

Mrs. Mary Adams was born in Stratford, in 1698, and died 
here in 1803, aged 105. Mr. Reuben Dickinson was born in 
1716, and died here in 1818, aged 102. Capt. Salmon Buell 
was born here in 1767, and died here in 1868. 

The first inhabitants of the town were particularly careful 
that none but persons of good character should be permitted 
to settle amoiig them. If a stranger made a purchase in the 
plantation a proviso was sometimes inserted in the deed, that 
the inhabitants should accept the purchaser, and that he 
should " run the risk of trouble from the grand Committee." 
On the 1st of April, 1724, it was voted. That the Committee 
of Hartford and Windsor choose inhabitants. In case any 
new are brought into town, and the town judge them not 
wholesome, then to be judged by indifferent men, and by 



13 

them judged good inliabitauts, tlic cost to l)o ])aid Ity Mtcli- 
field, if not, the cost to l)e i)aid I)y the committee tliat made 
choice of said inliabitauts. 

" The first founders Imilt log liouses. The settlement pro- 
ceeded as fast as could reasonal)ly be expected. During the 
frequent wars between England and France, the Canadians 
and Indians often harassed our borders, and Litchtield being 
a frontier town was exposed to their ravages." It is not 
strange that the natives, accustomed to rove over these beauti- 
ful hills, through these pleasant valleys, and about our delight- 
ful lakes, (gems in emerald,) should have viewed with jeal- 
ousy the approach of the white man. 

But of course our predecessors, the owners of the soil by 
fair ])urchase, stood on their defence. "Between the years 
1720 and 1780, five houses were surrounded by pallisadocs. 
One of these stood on the ground near the present court house, 
another half a mile south, one cast and one west of the cen- 
ter, and one in South Farms. Soldiers were then stationed 
here to guard the inhabitants, both while they were at work 
in the field, and while they were attending public worship on 
the Sabbath." 

" In May 1722, Capt. Jacol) Griswold being at work alone in 
a field about one mile west of the present court house, two 
Indians suddenly rushed upon him from the woods, took him, 
pinioned his arms, and carried him ofT. 

" They traveled in a northerly direction, and the same day 
arrived in some part of the townshij) called Canaan, then a 
wilderness. .The Indians kindled a fire, and after bindinir 
their prisoner hand and foot, lay down to sleep. Griswold 
fortunately disengaging his hands and feet, while his arms were 
yet pinioned, seized their guns, and made his escape into the 
woods. After traveling a small distance, he sat down and 



14 

waited tlic dawn of day, and although his arms were still pin- 
ioned he carried both their guns. The savages awoke in tlie 
morning, and finding their prisoner gone immediately pursued 
him ; they soon overtook him and kept in sight of him the 
greater part of the day, while he was making liis way home- 
ward. When they came near he turned and pointed one of 
his pieces at them ; tliey tlien fell back. In this manner he 
traveled till near sunset, wlien he reached an eminence in an 
open field, about one mile northwest of the court house. He 
then discharged one of his guns, which immediately sum- 
moned the people to liis assistance. Tlie Indians fled, and 
Griswold safely returned to his family. 

" The capture of Griswold made the inhabitants more cau- 
tious for awhile, but their fears soon subsided. Afterwards, in 
1723, Mr. Joseph Harris, a respectable inhabitant, was at work 
in the woods not far from the place where Griswold was taken, 
and being attacked l)y a party of Indians, attempted to make 
his escape. The Indians pursued liim, and finding that they 
could not overtake him, they shot him dead and scalped him. 
As Harris did not return the inliabitants were alarmed, and 
some search was made for him, but the darkness of the night 
checked their exertions. The next morning they found his 
body and gave it a decent burial. Harris was killed near the 
north end of the Plain, where the road turns to Milton, a 
little east of a school-house, and for a long time after this 
plain was called Harris' Plain."* 

The place of his interment remained unmarked for more 
than a century, but rested in the memory of the older inhabi- 
tants. He was buried in the west burial ground near the 
village of Litchfield. In 1830, a suitable monument, with an 
appropriate inscription, was erected at his grave by voluntary 
contribution. 

* Morris' statistical account of Litchfield. 



15 

The summer of 1724 was a period of excitement and alarm. 
The war between the Englisli and the French was then pre- 
vailing, and the latter used great elTorts to incite the northern 
Indians to attack the frontier settlements of the whites. 

The conduct of the Indians at the north and west during 
this year, and especially their hostile movements in the vicin- 
ity of Litchfield, induced the government to take such precau- 
tionary measures as the occasion demanded, in order to 
furnish protection to the weak and exposed settlements. A 
line of scouts was established extending from Litchfield to 
Turkey Hills, curving around the most northerly and westerly 
settlements in Simsbury. On the 4th of June, 1724, Capt. 
Richard Case of Simsbury was directed to employ ten men 
on this scouting party to rendezvous at Litchfield. They con- 
tinued in service until early in October.* 

During these difficulties some of the more timid of the 
inhabitants deserted their posts, and the interposition of 
the legislature was deemed necessary, and therefore the follow- 
ing enactment was made, viz. : 

" A General Court holden at New Haven, October 11, 1724, 
upon the memorial of the inhabitants of the town of Litcii- 
field, be it enacted and ordained, by the Governor, Assistants 
and Deputies in General Court assembled, and by the authority 
of the same, that whosoever hath or ought to have been an 
inhabitant, and is a proprietor of any lands within the town 
of Litchfield, or have deserted and left said town since difii- 
culties have arisen there on account of an enemy, and shall 
neglect for the space of one month after the rising of this 
assembly to return to the said town and there abide, or send 
some man in their room or stead to perform and do the 
necessary duties of watching and warding and the like during 

* Phelps' History of Simsbury. 



16 

the continuance of the difficulties of the war, shall lose and 
forfeit all their right and estate in and upon any and all of the 
lands aforesaid, and their estate, right and interest therein, 
unto the corporation of Connecticut. And further, it is pro- 
vided, that if any other man being now a proprietor and 
inhabitant, or a proprietor and ought to have been an inhabi- 
tant in the said town,shallhereafter during the continuance of 
fear and danger of the enemy, desert and leave the said town, 
or neglect to repair thither, and there personally abide, 
without constantly providing some other sufficient person in 
his room and stead, there to perform all duties as before 
mentioned in the case of them who have already deserted, 
shall likewise forfeit their estate in and on all the lands in 
the town aforesaid unto this corporation. 

And further, it is provided, that upon complaint made to 
the Committee of War at Hartford of or against any such 
deserter, upon their satisfaction of the truth thereof, the said 
committee shall declare the forfeiture, and the said committee 
are enabled to admit any other person who shall go and abide 
there in the room of the deserter, and perform the necessary 
duties as aforesaid, and that he shall hereafter receive a grant 
from this Court of the estate escheated as aforesaid for his 
further confirmation therein. And it is further ordered, that 
five shillings per week shall be allowed for billeting soldiers 
in Litchfield for the summer past." 

In 1726, upon news of the Indian enemy coming down 
towards" our frontiers, the assembly resolved that thirty-five 
effective men be raised to march to Litchfield for its defence, 
to be under the command of Capt. John Marsh. 

Doctor Dwight, the former president of Yale College, wrote. 

" Not many years after the county of Litchfield began to 
be settled by the English, a strange Indian came one day into 
an inn in the town of Litchfield, in the dusk of the evening, 



17 

and requested the hostess to furnish him with some diink 
and supper. At the same time he observed lie could pay for 
neither as he had had no success in hunting, hut promised 
payment as soon as he should meet with better fortune. The 
hostess refused him both the drink and the supper ; called 
him a lazy good-for-nothing fellow; and told him she did not 
work so hard herself to throw away her earnings upon such 
creatures as he was. 

A man sat by and observed that the Indian, then turnuig 
about to leave so inhospitable a place, showed by his counte- 
nance that he was suffering very severely from want and weari- 
ness, and directed the hostess to supply him with what he 
wished, and engaged to pay the bill himself. She did so. 
When the Indian had finished his supper, he turned to his 
benefactor, thanked him, and assured him that he should 
remember his kindness, and whenever he was able would faith- 
fully recompense it. ***** 

Some .years after, the man who had befriended him had 
occasion to go some distance into the wilderness between 
Litchfield, then a frontier settlement, and Albany, when he 
was taken prisoner by an Indian scout and carried to Canada. 
When he arrived at the principal settlement of the ti-ibe on 
the southern border of the St. Lawrence, it was proposed by 
some of the captors that he should be put to death. During 
the consultation an old Indian woman demanded that he 
should be given up to her, that she might adopt him in the 
place of a son whom she had lost in the war. He was accord- 
ingl\ given to her, and lived through the ensuing winter in 
her family, experiencing the customary effects of savage 
hospitalty. 

The following summer as he was at work in the forest alone, an 
unknown Indian came up to him, and asked him to meet him 
3 



18 

at a place which he pointed out, on a given day. The priso- 
ner agreed to the proposal, but not without some apprehensions 
that mischief was intended him. During the interval these 
apprehensions increased to such a degree as to dissuade him 
effectually from fulfilling his engagement. 

Soon after, the same Indian found him at his work again, 
and very gravely reproved him for not performing his promise. 
The man apologized, awkwardly enough, but ift the best manner 
in his power. The Indian told him he should be satisfied if 
he would meet him at the same place on a future day which 
he named. The man promised to meet him, and fulfilled his 
promise. 

When he arrived at the spot, he found the Indian provided 
with two muskets, ammunition for them, and knapsacks. The 
Indian ordered him to take one of each and follow him., 
The direction of their march was to the south. The man 
followed, without the least knowledge of what he was to do, 
or whither he was going, but concluded that if the Indian 
intended him harm, he would have dispatched hiju at the 
beginning, and at the worst he was as safe where he was as 
he could be in any other place. 

Within a short time, therefore, his fears subsided, although 
the Indian observed a profound and mysterious silence con- 
cerning the object of the expedition. In the day time they 
shot such game as came in their way, and at night kindled 
a fire by which they slept. After a tedious journey of many 
days they came one morning to the top of an eminence pre- 
senting a prospect of a cultivated country, in which was a 
number of houses. The Indian asked his companion, whether 
he knew the place. He replied eagerly that it was Litchfield. 
His guide then after reminding him that he had so many 
years before relieved the wants of a famishing Indian, at an 
inn in that town, subjoined, " I that Indian : now I pay you ; 



19 

m 

go home." Having said this he bade him adieu : and \\\o 
man joyfully returned to his own house." 

Mr. Kilhourn truly says, " It is difficult for us surrounded 
as we are with the blessings of peace and plenty, to realize 
that our predecessors amid these very scenes were thus ex- 
posed to the coml)ined evils of war and famine ; l)ringiug 
tlieir food through a distance of twenty miles; tilling their 
fields only when protected with an armed guard; men, 
women, and children, from time to time flying in alarm to 
the garrisons for safety ; and the whole adult population of 
the town compelled in turn to keep public watch and ward 
through a succession of years ; at the same time clearing oft' 
the forests, hunting wild beasts, and fighting the common 
enemy." 

The first settlers of this town l)rought with them from 
Lebanon the Rev. Timothy Collins, a candidate for tlie 
ministry, to preach for them. And at the first town meeting 
of which we have a record, viz : Nov. 6th, 1721, he was 
'" called to a settlement in this place in the work of the 
ministry."* He continued to be their minister till Nov. 15, 
1752. 

On the 26th of February, 1753, this town gave the Rev. 
Judah Champion a call to settle here, which he accepted. He 
graduated at Yale College in the year 1751 ; was ordained 
July 4, 1758, continued his ministry till 1798, and received 
his salary till his death in 1810, his 82d year. 

He was succeeded by the Rev. Dan. Huntington, and he by 
the Rev. Dr. Lyman Beecher. 

Until the incorporation of the society of South Farms, the 



* At the May session of the Legislature in 17:22, " liberty was granted to Litch- 
field to embody into church estate with the approbation of the neighboring 
churches, and to settle an othodox minister among them." 



20 

town constituted but one ecclesiastical society, and all votes 
relating to ecclesiastical affairs were passed in Town meeting. 

One of the earliest measures of our forefathers was the 
erection of a church edifice. In April, 1723, the inhabitants 
voted to build their first church, which was finished in three 
years. It was 45 feet long, and 35 feet wide, and without a' 
steeple. At the raising, all the adult males in the whole town- 
ship sat on the sills at once. It stood in the center of the 
highway on the ground now occupied by the center park. 

In 1762, the second church, 60 by 45 feet, with a steeple, 
was completed, and was erected nearly on the same ground as 
that occupied by the first. Its location was established by 
the County Court. In 1829, a new church was finished upon 
the ground occupied by the present Congregational church. 
And in 1873, the present Congregational church was com- 
pleted and occupied. » 

The members of the Church of England in this town 
associated for public worship about the year 1746. The first 
religious service after the English ritual, was performed by 
the Rev. Dr. Samuel Johnson, President of King's College, 
N. Y. Their first church was erected in 1749, about one 
mile westerly from the Court House, and named " St. 
Michaels." Divine service was first performed in it by the 
Rev. Dr. Mansfield. Its first minister was the Rev. Solomon 
Palmer, a native of Branford, born in 1709, and graduated at 
Yale in 1729. He was succeeded by the Rev. Thomas Davies 
about the year 1763, and he by the Rev. James Nichols, 
Ashbel Baldwin, David Butler, Truman Marsh, and Isaac 
Jones, all now deceased, and by others still living. 

It appears by their records that the Episcopal Society in 
Litchfield was organized according to law October 26, 1784. 

Their second church was erected in tliis village, and was 
completed in 1812, and their third church, now standing, was 



21 

erected in 1850. They have churches also in Milton, and 
Bantam Falls. 

The society of South Farms (now ^Morris) was incorporated 
in 1767. Its first settled clergyman was the Rev. GeoVgc 
Beck with, who was succeeded by the Rev. Amos Chase. 
Previous to its incorporation, to wit, in 1748, the General 
Assembly Resolved, that the inhabitants of South Farms 
"shall and may have a meeting amongst themselves for 
public worship, three months in every year in the winter 
season." And in 1761, Resolved, that they "be allowed to 
have the gospel preached among them for four months in the 
winter season, and shall have liberty to build a meeting 
house." In 1764, they voted to build a winter house thirty- 
five feet long, and twenty-five feet wide, nine feet posts, pro- 
vided Justus Gibbs will do it for £70.10. It was soon erected. 
In 1785, the Society built a new church, which in 1844 was 
taken down, and a neat and tasteful edifice erected in more 
modern style.* 

The once celebrated Morris Academy was established in 
South Farms by James Morris, Esq., in 1790. 

The Society was constituted a town by act of the Legisla- 
ture in 1859. 

The Society of Northfield was incorporated in 1794, and 
the Rev. Joseph E. Camp was its first pastor. 

The Society of Milton was incorporated in 1795, and the 
Rev. Benjamin Judd was its first pastor. 

The church of the Methodist Episcopal Society in this 
village was erected in the year 1836. The dedication 
sermon was preached by Professor Holdrich of the Wesleyan 
University. 

The west burial ground, near the village, was reserved for 

* They voted to build their first school-house in 1747. 



22 

that purpose at the first settlement of the town. The East 
burial ground was laid out in 1T54, and the grounds of 
the Litchfield Cemetery Company were devoted to purposes of 
burial in 1866. 

This town was first represented in the General Assembly 
in 1740. Its first representatives were John Bird, and* 
Ebenezer Marsh.* 

For the encouragement of Fisheries it was, on the 12th of 
April, 1770, " on request of Capt. John Marsh consented, (by 
vote) that he might have the exclusive pickerel fishing in the 
Loon Fond, (so called,) for the space of twenty years next 
after this day, provided, he shall at his own expense procure 
pickerel to breed and propagate therein, in a reasonable time." 
It seems, however, that no advantage was taken of this 
privilege. Twenty-eight pickerel were first procured in the 
winter of 1809, from a pond in South wick, Mass., and put 
into Cranberry or Loon Pond. A few years since black bass 
were put into the great lake. The progeny of hotli have so 
increased that they are taken in considerable quantities in 
all our lakes. 

In 1784, the first newspaper press was established in Litch- 
field ; the paper issued was called the " Monitor," and in 
opposition thereto, the " Witness," was established in 1805. 

Slavery can hardly be said to have existed in this town 
during the present century. In the year 1800 only seven 
blacks were nominally slaves.f 



*The Grand List of the town was then $26,666J'„\, . In 1875, it was $1,935,- 
170 ■'S'-. 

10 

t During the hitter jiiirt of the last century, the Blacks, in imitation of the 
Whites, chose for themselves a Governor, and other State officials. Their last 
Governor was Will, a resident of this town, whose obituary appears in the Moni- 
tor of Wednesday, March 6, 1793, as follows: "Died, on Thursday, of consump- 
tion, Will, a free negro (formerly owned by Major Seymour,) Governor of the 



23 

Miss Sarali Pierce opened a scliool in this town for the 
instruction of females in tlic year 1702, wliich very justly 
merited and acquired a distinguished reputation. The school 
continued under her superintendence for nearly forty years. 
It was incorporated in the year 1827, by the name of "The 
Litchheld Female Academy." 

The Hon. Tapping Reeve, one of the Judges of the Superior 
Court, commenced a law school in Litchfield, in the year 
1784, and continued it till the year 1798, when James Gould, 
Esq., became joint instructor with Judge Reeve. The science of 
law was more systematically taught in this school, than in any 
other in the United States. Judge Reeve and Judge Gould 
continued to be joint instructors till the year 1820, after 
which Judge Gould lectured alone, being assisted in examina- 
tions by the Hon. Jabcz W. Huntington. 

Judge Gould closed his lectures in the year 1833. 

This school always enjoyed a high reputation, such as the 
talents and extensive legal attainments of the gentlemen who 
conducted the institution were calculated to give it. Young 
gentlemen from every section of the Union were educated 
here, and not a few have been distinguished as statesmen and 
jurists. 

Many books in times past were printed and published in this 
village. Among others a volume of Reports of cases in our 
Superior and Supreme courts from 1785 to 1788, was pub- 
lished here by the Hon. Epluaim Kirby in 1789. It was the 
first volume of Law Reports published in the United States. 
Connecticut derives from it the honor of having set an exam- 
Blacks in this vicinity. His integrity and faithfulness through life will, we hope, 
entitle him to the rewards of the good and faithful servant." 



24 

pie to her sister states, which it has been their just pride, and 
their high advantage to follow.* 

The village of Litchfield was incorporated in May 1818. 
and by its charter has the usual powers and privileges of a 
Borough. 

A branch of the Phoenix Bank at Hartford was established 
here in 1814, and was succeeded by the First National Bank 
of Litchfield. 

The Litchfield Mutual Fire Insurance Company was incor- 
porated in 1833 ; and the Litchfield Savings Society in 1850. 

The present court house was erected in tlie years IV 97 and 
1798 ; and the present gaol and county house in the year 
1812. 

Litchfield county was organized in 1751, and its one hun- 
dredth anniversary was celebrated at Litchfield on the 13th 
and 14th days of August, 1851. Citizens and returning 
emigrants from the county, assembled in great numbers. 
Speeches and addresses were made under a large tent in the 
west park, by the Hon. Samuel Church, Gov. Button, Dr. 
Horace Bushnell, Hon. Daniel S. Dickinson, Hon. Frederick 
A. Tallraadge, and others, and a poem was delivered by the 
Rev. John Pierpont. 

But as the object of this paper is not to give a complete 
history of this town from its first settlement, but simply a 
sketch thereof, more particularly with reference to events re- 
lating to the Revolution, I hasten to call your attention to 
that subject. 

And it will be well to bear in mind, that Litchfield was then 
an inland town remote from the princi[)al routes of travel, and 
in l774, including the town of Morris, and parts of Washing- 
ton and Torrington, it contained a population of only 1,554 
persons. 

*lst Conn. Reports, p. 28. 



25 

An examination of" our ancient town lecords strikingly 
discloses the unanimity, zeal, sympathy, and spirit of'soH-sac- 
rifice which animated our Ibrelathei's ; yes, and our forenioth- 
ers, who did as much, and suffered as much in encourafrin<i-, 
animating, and fitting out their husbands, and brothers, and 
sons, for the work, and in " tarrying I)y the stuff" at home, 
and caring for it, as those who went into the fight. 

Ten years before the Declaration of Independence, viz: in 
1766, the minds of our y)eople were greatly agitated liy the 
Stamp Act, as it was called. 

The British parliament imposed a tax on every deed, lease, 
Im^ikI. policy, oi- mortgage, and none were legal unless it l)Oi-e 
the royal stamp. The people were excited, a meeting was 
held at the coui-t house, in February. 1766, for the purpose of 
giving the clearest manifestation of their fixed and most ar- 
dent desire to preserve those rights and privileges which be- 
long to them as a free people, and of their readiness to pro- 
mote the public peace and happiness which had been greatly 
disturbed by the most alarming infringements upon their 
rights. 

They adopted sundry resolutions, therein claiming the 
"right to dispose of their pro})erty at pleasure," declaring 
that God made mankind free, and that they would endeavor 
to preserve and faithfully transmit the advantage of English 
liberty to their posterity ; that any office for distributing 
stamped papers, uppeai-ed odious and detestable ; that if any 
stamped papers aiiall l)e imported into any part of this colony, 
notice thereof be giveji. that the same may be preserved un- 
touched for his Majesty." 

After the passage of the stamp act, (which the British gov- 
ernment was unable to enforce,) parliament i)assed an act 
laying a tax on divers articles imported into this country from 
4 



26 

England. The indignation of the people was aroused, and 
delegates were appointed in Litchfield to attend a convention 
at New Haven, in September, 1770, to take into consideration 
the perilous condition of the country. 

The spirit manifest in the following proceedings of this 
town (drawn up by Gov. Wolcott, a signer of the Declaration 
of Independence,) upon the blockade of Boston, before the 
war of the Revolution, renders them worthy of remembrance. 

" The Inhabitants of Litchfield in legal Town Meeting As- 
sembled, on the 17th day of August, 1774, taking into con- 
sideration the distress to which the Poor of the Town of Bos- 
ton may likely be reduced by the operation of an Act of the 
British Parliament, for Blocking up their port, and deeply 
commiserating the unhappines^ of a brave and loyal people, 
who are thus eminently suffering in a General Cause for vin- 
dicating what every virtuous American considers an essential 
right of this country, think it is their indispensable duty, to 
afford their unhappy distressed brethren of said Town of Bos- 
ton, all reasonable Aid and Support ; and this they are the 
more readily induced to do, not only as the inhabitants of said 
town are thus severely condemned for their reluctance to sub- 
mit to an arbitrary, an unconsented to, and consequently, un- 
constitutional taxation, but the whole of the great and loyal 
Province of the Massachusetts Bay have been condemned un- 
heard in the loss of their charter privileges, by the heretofore 
unknown and unheard of exertions of Parliamentary Powers, 
which they conceive is a power claimed and exercised in such 
a manner as cannot fail of striking every unprejudiced mind 
with horror and amazement, as being subversive of all those 
inherent, essential and constitutional rights, liberties, and priv- 
ileges which the good people of this Colony have ever held 
sacred, and even dearer than life itself, nor ever can wish to 
survive ; not only every idea of property, but every emol- 
ument of civil life, being rendered thereby precarious and 
uncertain. 



27 

In full confidence therefore, that no degree of evil inflicted 
on said town and province will ever induce tliem to give up 
or i)ctray their own and the American constitutional rights 
and privileges, especially as they cannot but entertain the 
most pleasing expectations that the committees of the North 
American provinces, who are soon to meet at Philadelphia, 
will in their wisdom be able to point out a method of conduct 
effectual for obtaining redress of their grievances ; a method 
wliich Cwhen once agreed upon by said committee,) this 
town will look upon it their duty strictly to attend. And in 
the meantime earnestly recommend that subscriptions be 
forthwith opened in this town, under the care of Reuben 
Smith, Es(]., Capt. Lynde Lord, and Mr. William Stanton, 
who are hereby appointed a committee to receive and forward 
to the Selectmen of Boston, for the use of the poor in that 
place, all such donations as shall be thereupon made for that 
purpose ; as also to correspond with the Committee of Cor- 
respondence there or elsewhere as there may be occasion. 

We also take this opportunity publicly to return our thanks 
to the members of the Honorable House of Representatives 
of tills Colony for their patriotic and loyal Resolutions passed 
and published in the last assembly on the occasion, and order 
them to be entered at large on the public records of this town, 
that succeeding ages may be faithfully furnished with authen- 
tic credentials of our inflexible attachment to those inestim- 
able privileges which we and every honest American glory in 
esteeming our inalienable Birthright and Inheritance." 

It will be seen from the preceding acts, that this small 
community, years before the Declaration of Independence, de- 
claied that God made mankind Free; affirmed their fixed 
desire to preserve their rights and privileges ; that they would 
transmit lil)erty to their posterity ; that they would assist 
those condemned to submit to arbitrary and unconstitutional 
taxation, in full confidence that ho degree of evil would ever 
induce the giving up of American constitutional rights and 
privileges ; with the expectation of a method of conduct 



28 

effectual for ohtainiiii redress of their grievances, to wliich 
'^ this Town would strictly attend." All which they ordered 
to be made a matter of record, for succeedino- ages. 

Calm, but admonitory. The spirit of '76 was thus clearly 
indicated, and a method of redress was foreshadowed, as set 
forth in the declaration of one hundred years ago. 

In 1774 and 1775, the celebrated Aaron Burr was a resi- 
dent of Litchfield with his distinguished brother-in-law Judge 
Reeve. Immediately after the battle of Lexington he wrote 
to his friend Ogden to come to Litchfield and join the army 
with him. Burr did so, and though Litchfield was nominally 
his home, he did not thereafter permanently reside here. 
However lamentable his subsequent career, he was a true 
patriot during the war, and held a distinguished position on 
the staff of General Washington. It may be presumed that 
while here he inhaled the spirit of our revolutionary worthies, 
and perhaps the inspiration was reciprocal. 

In May, 177.3, Col. Ethan Allen, a native of Litchfield, 
captured by surprise the fortress of Ticonderoga, taking pos- 
session of the fort " in the name of the Great Jehovah and the 
Continental Congress." Several of his little band of heroes 
were natives of this vicinity. 

In December, 1775, the town appointed a Committee of In- 
spection, that all foes to the rights of British America may be 
publicly known, and universally contemned, as the enemies 
of American Liberty, and voted, that thenceforth we break off 
all dealings with such. 

The war spirit had by this time become thoroughly aroused, 
and in January, 1776, Capt. Beebe of this town enlisted a 
company for the defence of New York. The order to raise 
the company was received on Sunday, and on the Saturday 
following the company had been enlisted, armed and equipped, 
and were on their march towards Fairfield, the place of ren- 



29 

dezvous. The enlistment was as follows, viz : " We the sub- 
scribers l)eing convinced of the necessity of a body of forces 
to defeat certain wicked purposes formed by the instruments 
of Ministerial Tyranny, do solemnly engage ourselves and 
enlist as Private Soldiers," A'C, and was signed by tilty-five 
persons. Those who have a knowledge of the leading men in 
Litchfield County at the close of the last century, will lecog- 
nize in the list of signers the names of many of her most 
prominent and influential citizens; men of position, wealth, 
and enterprise, who, though surrounded by the endearments 
of domestic life, voluntarily enlisted as private soldiers in that 
dangerous expedition. They were mainly from the town 
of Litchfield and adjoining towns, and were enlisted from the 
21st to the "25th of January. 

In May, 1776, a regiment was ordered to be raised for the 
defence of the State, subject to join the continental army. 
Capt. Beebe was appointed to command one of the companies. 
The company was raised, containing ninety-one men, a large 
proportion of whom were citizens of Litchfield, and several had 
been members of the company raised in January previous. 

Jt wUl l)e remembered that the contest with Great Britain 
had really begun before the Declaration of Independence, and 
the previous action of this town shows its inhabitants were 
prepared to sustain it with their lives and fortunes. 

The Fi-ench war had already in some degree prepared offi- 
cers and soldiers for the struggle with the mother country. 
Few towns in the State so far inland suffered more in propor- 
tion to their population, than Litchfield during the Revolu- 
tionary war. Almost every man of suitable age and ability 
was ready and willing to aid in person and otherwise our 
infant republic in its struggles for existence. With few ex- 
ceptions the purest patriotism pervaded all, attended with a 
pcrfec-t understanding of their chartered rights and pi-ivileges. 



30 

Tlieir hearts were loyal to their sovereign, but they would not 
submit to tyranny, and were prompt to sustain their l)rethren 
in other colonies in resistance to unconstitutional oppression. 
They were Englishmen — Anglo-Saxons, " descended from the 
same men and inheritors of the same principles of indepen- 
dence by whicli Magna Charta was established at Runny- 
mede." 

Upon the commencement of the war, this town with vigor 
entered into the contest. The principal business at town 
meetings for several years, seems to have been the adoption 
of measures to sustain tlie cause, and to carry into effect the 
orders and acts of the Council of Safety, and of the Legisla- 
ture. Soldiers were encouraged to enlist ; their pay was 
«>uaranteed by the town ; bounties were granted them ; cloth- 
ing was provided for them, and provisions for their families. 

In the year 1777, eight continental battalions were raised 
in this State, of which the quota of this town was ninety-two. 
A large portion of those taken prisoners at Fort Washington 
were from this town, about thirty of whom died in the prison 
ships and other prisons in that city. Throughout the war 
our young men were constantly enlisted into the army. The 
militia were fully organized, and drafts were continually made 
upon them. In times of alarm they would turn out almost 
en masse. Our Litchfield troops were found at the capture 
of New York, on the Connecticut coast, on the Hudson, at 
Boston, at Ticonderoga, and Crown Point; at the surrenders 
of Burgoyne and Cornwallis, the capture of Stony Point, in 
the battles of White Plains, Trenton, and Princeton, and in 
almost every military transaction worthy of note during the 
eventful struggle. 

In tlie autumn of 1776, tliirty-six picked men were placed 
under the command of Capt. Beebe to aid in the defence of 
Fort Washington near New York. On the 16th of November, 



31 

as is well known, the fort, after a desperate resistance on the 
part of its defenders, fell into the liands of the British, and 
all the Americans were either killed or made prisoners. 
Their subsequent treatment and suflering is perhaps without 
a parallel in the history of the wais of any civilized nation. 
Ciowded into a narrow space without air, and for several days 
without food, contagion and death was the natural conse- 
quence. Fearful diseases broke out among them, and very 
few of the whole number survived the terrible ordeal. Only 
six out of thirty-six hale and hearty young men of the com- 
pany reached home. 

One of them, Oliver Woodruff, of South Farms, says : " We 
were marched to New York, and went into different prisons. 
Eight hundred and sixteen went into the new Bridewell, I 
among the rest. Some into the Sugar-house ; others into the 
Dutch Church. On Thursday morning they brought us a lit- 
tle provision, which was the first morsel we got to eat or drink 
after eating our breakfast on Saturday morning. 

"• We never drew as much provision for three days'-allowance 
as a man would eat at a common meal. I was there three 
months during that inclement season, and never saw any fire, 
except what was in the lamps of the city. There was not a 
pane of glass in the windows, and nothing to keep out the 
cold except the iron grates." 

Capt. Beebe, in consideration of his office, was allowed the 
limits of the city, but was compelled to provide himself with 
food, lodging, &c., or go without. He was accustomed to 
visit his men daily, but could do little to alleviate their 
wretched condition. He was not exchanged with the other 
prisoners, but was confined within the limits for about a year 
at his own expense." 

I have seen an affidavit made on the 3d of May, 1777, by 



32 

Mr. Thomas Catlin, of this town, (the father of the late Doc- 
tor Abel Catlin,) who was a lieutenant in the American army 
at New York in 1776, in which he gives the following accounts 
in substance, of the treatment of liimself and others by the 
British, viz: 

That he was taken prisoner by the British troops on New 
York Island, Sept. 15th, 1776, and confined with a great 
number in close gaol eleven days ; that he had no sustenance 
for forty-eight hours after he was taken ; that for eleven whole 
days they had only about two days allowance, and their pork 
was offensive to the smell. That forty-two were confined in 
one house till Fort Washington was taken, when the house 
was crowded with other prisoners, after which they were in- 
formed they should have two-thirds allowance, which consist- 
ed of very poor pork, bread — hard, mouldy, and wormy, made 
of canail and the dregs of flaxseed ; that the British troops 
had good bread. Brackish water was given to the prisoners, 
and he had seen $1.50 given for a common pail of water. 
That for near three months the common soldiers were con- 
fined in the churches, and in one were eight hundred and 
fifty. That about the 25th of December, 1776, he and about 
two hundred and twenty-five others were put on board the 
Glasgow at New York to be carried to Connecticut for ex- 
change. They were on board eleven days, and kept on black, 
coarse, broken bread, and less pork than before. Twenty- 
eight died during the eleven days ! They were treated with 
great cruelty, and liad no fire for sick or well. They were 
crowded between decks, and many died through hardship, ill 
usage, hunger, and cold. 

A letter written by Doctor Reuben Smith, of Litchfield, 
dated May 12th, 1777, relating to the Danbury alarm, states 
that, " Sunday morning, 27th April, about one o'clock, we 



33 

were alarmed ; oiii- people turned out spiritedly; came up 
with the enemy next day a little l)elovv Wilton meeting-liouse, 
and ))ursncd them aboard their shij)s. Paul Peck was killed 
in the last attack on the enemy." 

It is stated that on this occasion fourteen men, the last in 
Litchfield capable of bearhnj anna, were started at midnight to 
aid in repulsing the enemy. 

Of Paul Peck, alluded to in the letter of Doct. Smith, it is 
recorded, " that he was the most expei't hunter of the time in 
which he lived. At the Danbury alarm he put his long gun 
in order and followed the enemy to Compo on their retreat, and 
took a station l)chind a stone wall. Every shot told, until he 
was rushed upon by the enemy, who took his gun from him 
and dashed his l)rains out with it." He was killed April "i8th, 
1777, aged seventy-five years. 

During the war, Litchfield was a place of deposit for pro- 
visions and other continental stores. Workshops for the 
army were established here. Prisoners of war were here 
confined. 

On the 21st of June, 1776, David Matthews, the English 
Mayor of New York, was arrested by order of General Wash- 
ington, in pursuance of authority from the New York Com- 
mittee, for dangerous designs and treasonable conspiracies. 
He was sent to Litchfield for safe custody, and while here he 
wrote to Mrs. Matthews, atFlatbush, a letter dated Litchfield, 
Aug. 12th, 1776, in which he says: 

"Ever since my arrival iiere I have been at the house of 
Capt. Moses Seymour, who, together with his wife, have be- 
haved in the most genteel, kind manner, and have done every- 
tiiing in their power to make my time as agreeable as possi- 
ble. He is a fine, merry fellow, and she is a warm Protest- 
ant; and if iiwas not the thoughts of home were continually in 
5 



34 

my mind, I might be happy with my good landlord and his 
family." 

He adds, by way of postscript: "The Congress were much 
afraid I should run away if I had my liberty, but this good 
man, with whom I lodge, and who never heard of me before, 
has such an opinion of me that he has wrote to them that he 
will be answerable for me whenever they shall call for me." 

On the 19th of August, 1776, he was taken to Hartford, 
and on the next day wrote to the Secretary of the Convention 
of New York a letter dated, Hartford, Aug. 20th, 1776, in 
which he says: "It is verily believed throughout this colony 
that I was concerned in a plot to assassinate Gen. Washington, 
and to blow up the magazine in New York. ***** 
Solely owing to this report, I have been obliged to decamp 
from Litchfield, where I was stationed, and where the com- 
mittee thought my life was in imminent danger. I arrived 
here yesterday, and am shunned as much as Lucifer would be. 
* * * * Surely, if my life was to be made a sacrifice, 
there was a more gentlemanly way of doing it than of being 
sent into a country to be fired at from behind a barn or stone 
fence." 

On the 22d of the same month he was re-conveyed to 
Litchfield. The original order of Gov. Trumbull directs 
Capt. Moses Seymour to carry Mr. Matthews to Litchfield, 
and hold him in custody, permitting him to walk abroad for 
the benefit of the air, and to attend divine worship. To his 
letter of the 20th Mr. Matthews adds a postscript, dated the 
22d, saying, "I am now on "my march back to Litchfield 
again. * * * What horrid treatment is this ? our conven- 
tion say I must be confined. It is too much for mortal man 
to bear. I am now to stand fire at Litchfield. May God 
spare my life to meet my enemies face to face." 

The British royalist evidently did not relish the atmosphere 



35 

of freedom prevailing at Hartford and Litchfield. Under 
date Litchfield, Sept. 26, 1776, he writes : " The committee 
liave heen compelled to request my removal in order to pacify 
some people. They insist I can hlow up this town. that 
I could. I would soon leave tlicm to themselves. The sherilT 
has given orders that I shall not approach the gaol, lest the 
doors should fly open and the prisoners escape. I should not 
have returned to this cold wilderness had not the sheriff of 
Haitford declared he must lock me up in gaol." 

The first pleasure-carriage l)rought into this town was l>y 
him presented to Mrs. Major Seymour, and was in use as late 
as A. D. 1812. The Mayor's traveling trunk is still here in 
the possession of the Hon. Origen S. Seymour, one of Major 
Seymour's descendants. 

It is stated in a letter received in London, from a British 
officer in New York, dated Deceml)er 2, 1776, that " Honest 
David Matthews, the Mayor, has made his escape, and arrived 
here this day." 

The tradition is, that the public authorities did not well 
know how to deal wit*!! his case, and that one day when he 
" walked abroad for the benefit of the air" he neglected to 
return ; very much to the satisfaction of all concerned in his 
detention. 

Doct. Smith, at the close of his letter of May 12, 1777, 
says: "Governor Franklin is confined in our gaol, and con- 
stant guard is kept. We trust he will find it difficult to escape 
should he attempt it." 

This gentleman was the Royal Governor of New Jersey, 
and was the only son of the distinguished Dr. Benjamin 
Franklin. He was accused of being a virulent enemy of the 
United Colonies, and in June, 1776, Congress directed that 
he should be sent to Connecticut under a guard. In July, 
1776, he was sent by Gov. Trumbull to Wallingford to reside 



36 

on his parole, and was soon permitted to reside atMiddletown. 
But on the 80th of April, 1777, an order from Congress was 
received to confine Gov. Franklin, without pen, ink, or paper, 
and directed him to be conveyed under guard, by t\i~i Sheriff 
of Hartford County, forthwith to Litchfield jail. On the 19th 
of September, 1777, an order on the pay table was drawn in 
favor of Lynde Lord, Esq., for £100 towards the expense of 
the guard placed over Gov. Franklin. On the 15th of Janu- 
ary, 1778, another similar order was drawn in favor of Mr. 
Lord, who was the Sheriff of Litchfield County, 

The following account of him was published in 1856, viz : 

" Dr. Franklin's Only Son. — While the name of Franklin 
has been so prominently before the public of late, in connec- 
tion with the celebration at Boston, it may not be uninterest- 
ing to give some account of his only son, William, about 
whom we think little is known by the community at large. 
Unlike his father, whose chief claim to veneration is for the 
invaluable services he rendered his country in her greatest 
need, the son was from first to last a devoted loyalist. Before 
the Revolutionary War, he held many civil and military offi- 
ces of importance. At the commencement of the war he held 
the office of Governor of New Jersey, which appointment he 
received in 1763. When the difficulties between the mother 
couuntry and the colonies were coming to a crisis, he threw 
his whole influence in favor of loyalty, and endeavored to pre- 
vent the Legislative Assembly of New Jersey from sanctioning 
the proceedings of the General Congress of Philadelphia. 
These efforts however did but little to stay the tide of public 
sentiment in favor of resistance to tyranny, and soon involved 
him in difficulty. He was deposed from office by the whigs 
to give place to William Livingston, and sent a prisoner to 
Connecticut where he remained about two years. * * * 
Li 1778, he was exchanged, and soon after went to England. 
There he spent the remainder of his life, receiving a pension 
from the British Government for the losses he had sustained 
by his fidelity. 



37 

As might be expected, his opposition to the cause of liberty, 
so dear to the heart of his father, produced an estrangement 
between them. For years they had no intercourse. When, 
in 1784, the son wrote to his father, in liis reply Dr. Franklin 
says: "Nothing has ever hurt me so much, and affected me 
with such keen sensations, as to find myself deserted in my 
old age by my only son ; and not only deserted but to find him 
taking up arras against me in a cause wherein my good fame, 
fortune and life were all at stake." In his will also, he al- 
ludes to the j)art his son had acted. After making him some 
bequests, he adds : " The part he acted against me in the late 
war, which is of pui)lic notoriety, will account for my leaving 
him no more of an estate he endeavored to deprive me of." 
The patriotism of the father stands forth all the brighter, when 
contrasted with the desertion of the son." 

An elegant Equestrian statue of King George III, made 
of lead, richly gilded, was imported from London and erected 
in the city of New York, in the Bowling Green, at th.e lower 
end of Broadway, on the 21st day of August, 1770, amidst 
the discharge of cannon and music by the band. In 1776, it 
was thrown down and transported to Litchfield to be cast into 
bullets for the use of our army. The bullets were cast by 
ladies of Litchfield in the apple orchard of General Wolcott, 
now owned and occupied by Mrs. Harney. 

At a meeting of the inhabitants of Litchfield on the (Uh 
day of January, 1778, to take into consideration the articles 
of confederation, and perpetual union between the States, it 
was 

" looted, unanimously, that the said articles of confederation 
be approved, and that the representatives of said town be in- 
structed to use their influence and vote in General Assembly, 
to invest the delegates of this State with competent powers 
ultimately in the name and behalf of this State, in Continental 
Congress, to subscribe and confirm the said articles of confed- 
eration and perpetual union between the said States." 



38 

Up to this period, " Fair Wyoming on Susquehanna's side," 
called Westmoreland, was claimed as ours. Its jurors and 
justices were officers of this county, and its civil processes 
were directed to the Sheriff of Litchfield County, were returned 
to and decided by the courts held in this village, and are now 
among our records. Settled from Conneclicut, it may be 
imagined what grief and consternation pervaded us wlien the 
inhabitants of tliat infant settlement were massacred by the 
" Monster Brandt" and his Indian allies. 

During tlie Revolutionary war Litchfield was visited by 
Count Rochambenu in May, 1777, and by General La Fayette 
as the guest of Judge Reeve. And according to Mr. George 
Gibbs, on the evening of Saturday, August 28, 1780, Gen. 
Washington arrived here on his way from Hartford to West 
Point, and was entertained at the hospitable mansion of Gen. 
Wolcott, in South street (now Mrs. Harney's). He spent 
the night in the village, and on the following morning pro- 
ceeded westward, arriving at West Point about 11 o'clock on 
Monday morning. It was at this time that he discovered the 
treason of Benedict Arnold, who commanded at that post. 
The next year he was here, as appears from the following ex- 
tract from his diary. " May 18th, 1781, set out this day for 
an interview at Wethersfield, with Count de Rochambeau, 
and Admiral Barras. 19th. Breakfasted at Litchfield." Again 
he was here with Count Rochambeau. 

Mr. Kilbourn, in his history, says that at the period of 
which we are writing, " Litchfield was the home of a re- 
markable number of educated thinking men, some of whom 
were already distinguished, and others who were destined to 
act an important part in their country's history. Indeed no 
town in the State could boast of a community more refined 
and patriotic. Within our present borough limits resided 



39 

Oliver Wolcott, Andrew Adams, Reynold Marvin, Tapping 
Reeve, Isaac Baldwin, Samuel Lyman, Isaac Baldwin, Jr., 
Elisha Sheldon, John Pierce, Jr., Dr. Thomas Little, Lynde 
Lord, Rev, Timothy Collins, Rev. Judah Champion, Dr. Lem- 
uel Hopkins, Dr. Reuben Smith, Moses Seymour, Timothy 
Skinner, Abvaham Bradley, William Stanton, Ambrose Col- 
lins, Elijah Wadsworth, and Ephraim Kirby." 

To this goodly company were soon added Oliver Wolcott, 
Jr., Ashbel Baldwin, Ezckiel AVoodrulT, Julius Deming, Uriah 
Tracy, and Doct. Daniel Sheldon. 

Sixteen of the gentlemen named were graduated at Yale 
College, and one (Judge Reeve) at the College of New Jersey : 
three were members of the National Congress, or became 
such ; seven were captains in the Revolutionary war, and four 
rose to the rank of general officers ; two became Chief Jus- 
tices, and two Governors of the State.* 

* The following named persons, citizens of Litchfield, have occupied the public 
stations annexed to their respective names, viz : — 
Adams, Andrew, Chief Justice Superior Court. 
Allen, Ethan, General Revolutionary Army. 
Allen, John, Kepresentative in Congress. 
Allen, John W., Representative in Congress, Ohio. 
Beers, Seth P., Commissioner of School Fund. 
Beecher, Lyman, D.D., President Lane Seminary. 
Beecher, Edward, D.D., President Illinois College. 
Beecher, Henry W., Plymouth Cimrch, Brooklyn. 
Bird, John, Representative in Congress. 
Bradley, Abraham, Assistant Post Master General. 
Bradley, Phineas, Assistant Post Master (ieneral. 
Bushnell, Horace, D.D., Pastor and Author, Hartford. 
Catlin, Julius, Lt. Governor. 
Church, Samuel, Chief Justice Supreme Court. 
Collier, John A., Comptroller, Representative in Congress, N. Y. 
Dutlon, Henry, Governor, Judge Supreme Court. 
Ueming, Julius, Commissary Revolutionary War. 
Gould, James, Judge Supreme Court. 
Gould, William T., Judge, Georgia. 
Gould, George, Judge Supreme Court, N. Y. 
Hollister, G. H., Minister to Hayti. 
Holmes, Uriel, Judge, Representative in Congress. 



40 

The time will not suffice to embrace in this sketch bio- 
graphical notices of gentlemen residents of Litchfield, distin- 
guished for their patriotism, chivalry, and public spirit either 
in the field, or in the, perhaps, less conspicuous, though not 
less useful sphere of civil life. 

I must, however, be allowed to make an exception in the 
case of the B.ev. Judah Champion. He was in his prime dur- 
ing the war of the revolution. He was exceedingly loved and 
esteemed by his people ; was an ardent supporter of the po- 

Hubbard, John H., Representative in Congress. 

Huntington, Jabez W., Rep. and Senator in Congress, Judge Supreme Court. 

Huntington, Charles P., Judge Superior Court, Mass. 

Kirby, Ephraim, U. S. Judge, Mississippi. 

Lyon, Matthew, Representative in Congress, Vermont and Kentucky. 

Marvin, Reynold, King's Attorney. 

Miner, Phineas, Representative in Congress. 

Peck, William V., Judge Sup. Court, Ohio. 

Phelps, Samuel S., Judge, U. S. Senator, Vt. 

Pierpont, John, Poet, Pastor. 

Pierpont, Robert, Lt. Governor, Judge Supreme Court, Vt. 

Pierpont, John, Chief Judge Supreme Court, Vt. 

Reeve, Tapping, Chief Justice Supreme Court. 

Sanford, David C, Judge Supreme Court. 

Sedgwick, Albert, Commissioner of the School Fund. 

Seymour, Horatio, United States Senator, Vermont. 

Seymour, Origen S., Rep. in Congress, Chief Justice Supreme Court. 

Sheldon, Daniel, Secretary of Legation, France. 

Skinner, Roger, United States District Judge, N. Y. 

Skinner, Richard, Rep. in Congress, Chief Justice Sup. Court, Governor, Vt. 

Smith, Joseph L., United States Judge, East Florida. 

Smith, Truman, Representative and Senator in U. S. Congress. 

Strong, Jedediah, Representative in Congress. 

Tallmadge, Benjamin, Major Revolutionary Army, Rep. in Congress. 

Tallmadge, Frederick A., Recorder New York City. 

Tracy, Uriah, Representative and Senator in Congress. 

Wolcott, Oliver, Representative in Congress, Signer Declaration of Independ- 
ence, Governor. 

Wolcott, Oliver, Secretary of Treasury, U. S. Judge, Governor. 

Woodruff', Clark, Judge, Louisiana. 

Woodruff, George C, Representative in Congress. 

Woodruff; Lewis B., Judge Sup. Court, Court of Appeals, N. Y., and U. S. 
Circuit Court. 

Wright, John C, Representative in Congress, Judge, Ohio. 



41 

sition assumed in the Declaration of Independence, and per- 
haps no man in tliis vicinity, in the army or out of it, did 
more than he to encouraj^e the hearts and strengthen the 
hands of those engaged in the perilous conflict. He "threw 
himself with all his energy and burning eloquence into the 
struggle." Mr. Hollister in his history says, " When the whole 
country was in a state of alarm at the intelligence that Lord 
Cornwallis, with a large fleet and armaments, was approach- 
ing the American coast. Col. Tallmadge happened to pass 
through Litchfield with a regiment of cavalry. While there 
he attended pul>lic worship with his troops on Sunday, at the 
old meeting-house on the village green. The occasion. was 
deeply interesting and exciting. The Rev. Judah Champion, 
then the settled ministei- of the place — a man of great elo- 
quence, and of a high order of intellectual endowment — in 
view of the alarming crisis, thus invoked the sanction of 
Heaven : 

" Lord ! we view with terror the approach of the enemies 
of thy holy religion. Wilt thou send storm and tempest, to 
toss them upon the sea, and to overwhelm them upon the 
mighty deep, or to scatter them to the uttermost parts of the 
earth. But, peradventure, should any escape thy vengeance, 
collect them together again, Lord, as in the hollow of thy 
hand, and let thy lightnings play upon them. 

" We beseech thee, moreover, that thou do gird up the loins 
of these thy servants who are going forth to fight thy battles. 
Make them strong men that ' one shall chase a thousand, and 
two shall put ten thousand to flight.' Hold before them the 
shield with which thou was wont in the old time to protect 
thy chosen people. Give them swift feet, that they may pur- 
sue their enemies, and swords terrible as thy destroying Angel, 
that they may cleave them down when they have overtaken 
them. Preserve these servants of thine. Almighty God, and 
bring them once more to their homes and friends, if thou 
6 



42 

canst do it consistently with thine high purposes. If, on the 
other hand, thou hast decreed that they shall die in battle, let 
thy spirit be present with them, and breathe upon them, that 
they may go up as a sweet sacrifice into the courts of thy 
temple, wliere are habitations prepared for them from the 
foundations of the world." 

On'Unothcr occasion, writes Mr, Headley : 

" One pleasant Salibath morning the congregation had 
gathered together and had just commenced the morning 
hymn, when, through the still streets, there came the sharp 
clatter of a horse's hoofs — always so ominous, at that time, 
of tidings from the army. As usual, when the courier 
arrived in any town on the Sabbath, he made straight for the 
" meeting-house." Reaching the door, he dismounted, and 
flinging the bridle over the horse's neck, entered the build- 
ing. The singing ceased, and every eye was turned on the 
stranger as he walked up the broad aisle and ascended the 
pulpit stairs. He handed Mr. Champion a paper, who, with 
a smile of triumph on his face, arose and read " St. JoJms is 
taJcen.'^ It must be remembered that this place had been 
besieged six weeks, till people began almost to despair of its 
ever being taken. The noble pastor, the moment he had 
finished the sentence, lifted his eyes to heaven and exclaimed: 
" Thank God for the victory." The chorister, sitting opposite 
the pulpit, in the gallery, clapped his hands and shouted : 
" Ame7i and Amen ! " For avrhile the joy was unrestrained, 
but the pastor soon checked it by saying : " There is some- 
thing more to be heard." He then read a lengthy communi- 
cation, stating that the army was in a suffering condition. 
It was now the latter part of November, and there, on the 
borders of Canada, the winter was already setting in, and 
yet the troops were about to march for Quebec to undergo 
the rigors of a winter campaign. It described in vivid 
language their suifering condition. They were destitute of 
clothing, without shoes or stockings, and yet were ordered to 
traverse the frozen fields of the north. 

The touching description lost none of its pathos as read by 



43 

the. pastor and commented on by him at its close. When he 
had finislied, there was hardly a dry eye in the house. 
Especially the women were overcome with emotion. As soon 
as the congregation was dismissed, a few prominent ladies 
were seen to gather round the young pastor with eager counte- 
nances. They were evidently asking him some questions, 
and it was equally evident, from his benevolent smile and 
nodding head, that he was answering them satisfactorily. 
Soon tliey began to move rapidly among the other women 
that, in turn, gathered into groups in earnest conversation. 
After a little while they all dispersed to their homes. When 
the congregation assembled for the afternoon service not a 
woman was in the church. The wives, mothers, and maidens 
liad laid aside their Sabbath apparel and drawn forth their 
spinning-wheels, set in motion their looms, and brought out 
their knitting-needles and hand cards, and the village suddenly 
became a hive of industry. On that usually still Puritan 
Sabbath afternoon there now rung out on every side the hum 
of the wheel and the click of the shuttle — sounds never 
before heard in Litchfield on the Sabbath day, and which con- 
trasted strangely with those of prayer and praise in the 
adjoining sanctuary. Yet both believed that they were serv- 
ing God. The women were working for those brave patriots 
wlio were about to march, destitute and barefoot, over the 
frozen ground to strike for freedom. Many years after, when 
a venerable old man, Mr. Champion was asked by his grand- 
daughter how he could approve such a desecration of the 
Sabbath. He turned on her a solemn look and replied simply: 
*' Mercy before sacrificed 

Ah, what a flood of light does such a scene as this, on a 
Sabbath afternoon in those strict times, throw on the state of 
feeling that existed. Is it wonderful that a revolution which 
had its springs so deep down in the human heart and was 
sustained by such prayers and such faith, should succeed ? 
Its true history is not to be found on the battle-field, but in 
these secluded villages and country parishes." 

Since the establishment of our national independence, this 



44 

town has been for the most part harmonious and prosperous. 
No events have occurred therein to make it notorious in 
history, and I may perhaps say in the words of another, 
"happy is that country whose history is uninteresting." And 
yet the veterans of the war of 1812 should not be forgotten. 
Some among us remember the inspiriting martial music which 
enlivened, and the snow white tents which dotted our streets, 
and the brave banner which floated over all, while this 
village was the station of Col. Joseph L. Smitli's battalion. 

Most of our soldiers in our " Second war of Independence," 
have passed away. One only, an octogenarian, one of our 
most respected citizens, may be seen daily traversing our 
streets, with a tread as firm and elastic as most men of half 
his years. 

And especially should it be remembered how the brave sons 
of Litchfield rushed to the rescue in the great rebellion of 
the last decade ; how the battle fields of Cold Harbor, and 
Petersburg, Chancellorville and Winchester, Antietam, and 
others, were fattened with the blood of our brave ones. 

Many veterans in the last struggle are still among us, but 
fifty-two of them, v.iiose names are inscribed on yonder monu- 
ment, " died in the front rank fighting for their country."* 

* It appears from the records . in the office of the Adjutant General of Con- 
necticut, that during the late civil war in 1861-1865, the town of Litchfield 
furnished three hundred soldiers at least, for the niilitarv service of the United 
States. 

This town also paid for the support of soldiers, and to encourage enlistments, 
during that war, besides bounties and wages paid by this State, and by the 
United States, the sum of --.... $31,540 
and private individuals, ...... goo 



Total, ....... $32,340 



3477r79 






y-ejn^ 







^'-'^^ 











^^-^^^ V 










, ^ -.■.^.. ,^*'% •.^^' /\ '.- 







"* AT "Ov • 



<3 \r 



. »* ^^ 



jP-r. 



^"-^^^ 



'^o^ 
.^^ 




1 > . s • • . ^\ r>> - t • 








•^0^ 





'^o^ 

.^^ 



C\^ * 












